Said Hassan Abdallah, head chef at the Ghazala Gardens Hotel "I have spent 16 years of my life in this hotel, and it kills me to see it like this. I was at home asleep, and they woke me up to tell me that a car exploded inside the hotel, and that tens of my colleagues were dead. I cannot describe the state I was in when they asked me to identify my colleagues' burnt bodies or what was left of them. One of them got married a month ago, and was expecting his first child, but now that unborn child has already become an orphan just because some psychopath decided to blow himself up. No one has been laid off so far, and the hotel's administration held a meeting to assure us no one would, at least for now. The possibility is still there, however. But if I am laid off, what am I supposed to do? I am married and have four children who depend on me. We should all stick together in difficult times like this, and try to come up with solutions for the situation. Maybe we should hold a conference, or organise another march. I also think the Egyptian government should start encouraging more domestic tourism in Sharm El-Sheikh. I am trying to be optimistic about the effects of these attacks: that people who have been here will come back because they know we are friendly people who would never hurt anybody, and that Sharm is one of the most beautiful places in the world." Khaled Hassan, a taxi driver "I am originally from Al-Sharqiya, but I consider Sharm my hometown. I have been working here for 16 years as a taxi driver, and Saturday was by far the worst night I have ever seen. I heard a loud bang, and thought it was the fireworks that they sometimes set off when there are parties in the mountain. When I came closer and saw the flames and fire, for a minute I thought it was doomsday. The scene at the Ghazala Gardens Hotel was horrific. Bodies of dead people and human parts scattered all over the place. Two days after the attacks I am still having nightmares of what I saw that day. Those behind the attacks are mercenaries with no religion or values to guide their behaviour. They have harmed the businesses of everyone in Sharm, from those who clean the streets to the wealthiest businessman, because Sharm's main source of income is tourism, and attacks like these will surely reflect negatively on the tourism industry here for years to come." Mohamed Dawoud, supermarket manager "If the perpetrators of these attacks are from an extremist Islamic group, somebody should explain to them the difference between killing innocent civilians, and fighting your enemies or occupiers in the name of Islam. If you want to fight in the name of Islam and call yourself a martyr, go to Iraq, Palestine, or even Pakistan, but don't go around killing the innocent." Abul-Qassem Mohamed Ali, bazaar owner in the Old Market "We usually close around 1.00 or 1:30am, but on that day, we had to stay late because we were waiting for a bus full of Italian tourists who wanted to learn how to make and use papyrus. Although these sessions usually take a couple of hours and end late, thank God that day the tourists left earlier than usual. In fact they left three minutes before the explosion took place. I was playing chess with a colleague in front of the shop, with my back to the street, when all of a sudden all hell broke loose -- people were running scared everywhere, trying to save themselves from the shop window glass flying all about. I tried to run but was surrounded by the fire, so I sat down on the floor thinking this was it, the end of my life. I recited some verses from the Holy Qur'an. Once I realised that I had survived, I thanked God for saving my life. This attack comes at a time when lots of people had invested their savings in preparation for the high season, which was supposed to start next month. Those behind the attacks are ignorant -- they have no awareness whatsoever of anything, or any religion, and their mentality is sick. Still, I think we will get through this calamity, because we aren't the only country that has suffered from this kind of terror. London was hit last week, and that didn't stop tourists from going there. What we need to do is cooperate to let the terrorists know that what they are doing means nothing, and will not affect anybody in the end. Gamal Ga'oud, a Bedouin "People who say Bedouins are responsible for the attacks are deluded; they know nothing about Bedouin culture or traditions. If a Bedouin was responsible, our tribal leaders would exile him to the mountains, and he will never see us again for the rest of his life. For years, we've been hosting tourists, whether in our homes, or by organising desert parties for them where they have always felt safe. It is our duty to protect our guests with our lives -- not terrorise or kill. Plus, we are the ones who will suffer the most from this because tourism is our main source of income. Now we are trying to do all we can to help. When we were told that the governorate was organising a march to say that we are all united against terrorism, we were the first to say we'd join." Interviews by Salonaz Sami
